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When oyster farmer Luke Saindon went looking for a place to grow shellfish in Maine, he knew that picking the wrong patch of water could sink the farm before it began. So Saindon did something oyster farmers couldn\u2019t have done a generation ago: He used NASA satellite data to view the coastline from space.<\/p>\n
\u201cStarting a farm is a big venture,\u201d said Saindon, the director for The World Is Your Oyster farm in Wiscasset, Maine. \u201cIf you choose the wrong spot, you can blow through a lot of money without ever bringing oysters to market.\u201d<\/p>\n
NASA satellites had been passing over these waters for years, recording temperatures and other conditions. Using a site-selection tool created by University of Maine researchers, Saindon examined satellite maps showing where water temperatures and food levels might be best for growing oysters<\/a>. The maps pointed him toward a wide, shallow bay near his home. Four years later, the farm is still there \u2014 and the oysters are thriving.<\/p>\n Saindon believes that using the satellite data to select his oyster farm site resulted in faster-than-average growth rates.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an example of how NASA\u2019s Earth science program supports our nation,\u201d said Chris Neigh, the Landsat 8 and 9 project scientist at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. \u201cWe collect global data, but its value grows when it\u2019s used locally to help communities work smarter and make their livelihoods more sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n That same satellite-based approach is now the foundation of a study published Jan. 15 in the journal Aquaculture. Led by University of Maine scientists Thomas Kiffney and Damian Brady, the research demonstrates how temperature data from Landsat \u2014 the joint NASA and U.S. Geological Survey mission \u2014 combined with European Sentinel-2 satellite estimates of oyster food availability, namely plankton, can predict how quickly eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica<\/em>) reach market size<\/a>.<\/p>\n The team built a satellite data\u2013driven model of how oysters divide their energy among growth, survival, and reproduction. Feed the model sea surface temperature and satellite estimates of chlorophyll and particulate organic matter \u2014 signals of how much plankton and other edible particles are in the water \u2014 and it predicts how fast oysters will grow, a big step beyond just spotting good or bad sites for farms.<\/p>\n \u201cBy showing where oysters grow faster, the model can help farmers plan ahead,\u201d Kiffney said. \u201cThat could mean better decisions about when to seed, when to harvest, and how much product to expect, all of which reduces financial risk.\u201d<\/p>\n That kind of insight is increasingly valuable in Maine, where oyster farming has grown rapidly over the last decade. From 2011 to 2021, the industry\u2019s value increased 78%, rising from about $2.5 million to more than $10 million<\/a>. As the sector scales up, understanding the finer details of Maine\u2019s coastal waters has become essential \u2014 and that\u2019s where NASA satellites come in.<\/p>\n The stakes are considerable. \u201cIt takes two to three years of scoping in order to get your permit to grow, and then it can take two years for those oysters to reach market,\u201d Brady said. \u201cSo if you\u2019ve chosen the wrong site, you’re four years in the hole right off the bat.\u201d<\/p>\n Maine\u2019s coastline measures about 3,400 miles (5,500 kilometers) if you follow the tide line. It is a coast of drowned valleys and glacier-scoured granite. Water depth, temperature, and circulation can shift dramatically within a few miles. This complexity makes oyster site selection notoriously difficult, and some satellites that see the coast in broad strokes miss the small, patchy places where oysters live.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes Landsat so powerful for aquaculture is its ability to see finer-scale patterns along the coast,\u201d where farmers put oyster cages in the water, Neigh said.<\/p>\n Landsat 8 and 9\u2019s pixels \u2014 98 to 328 feet (30 to 100 meters) across \u2014 are able to distinguish more subtle temperature differences between neighboring coves. For a cold-blooded oyster, those distinctions can translate into months of growth. Warm water accelerates feeding and shell development. Cold water slows both.<\/p>\n A challenge for satellites is clouds. Maine\u2019s sky is frequently overcast, and together Landsat 8 and 9 pass over any given point only every eight days. To work around this, the research team analyzed 10 years of Landsat data (2013\u20132023) and built seasonal \u201cclimatologies,\u201d or average temperature patterns for every 98-foot (30-meter) pixel along the coast. Sentinel-2 imagery added estimates of chlorophyll and particulate organic matter, the drifting microscopic food that oysters pull from the water column with rhythmic contractions of their gills.<\/p>\n Field tests at multiple sites showed the technique\u2019s accuracy. \u201cWe validated the model against seven years of field data,\u201d Brady said. \u201cIt\u2019s a strong indication that these remotely sensed products can inform not just where to grow, but how long it will take to harvest.\u201d<\/p>\n The University of Maine team is now developing an online tool to put this model into practice. A grower will be able to click on a coastal location and receive an estimate for time-to-market.<\/p>\n The researchers also assist with workshops through Maine\u2019s Aquaculture in Shared Waters program, teaching farmers how to interpret temperature and water clarity data and apply them to their own sites.<\/p>\n For farmers like Saindon, that translates into something simpler: confidence and efficiency. \u201cHaving these kinds of tools lowers the barrier for new people to get into aquaculture,\u201d he said. \u201cIt gives you peace of mind that you\u2019re not just guessing.\u201d<\/p>\n